-- With the Volunteers midway through their second open week of the season they're finally getting a chance to take a step back on focus on themselves.

Defensive backs coach Willie Martinez said Wednesday that his corps is mainly making adjustments to their fundamentals and trying to reinforce the basics before next week's game preparation.

"Our main focus this week has been to improve on our fundamentals," Martinez said. "We can slow things down a little bit and not be so much scheme work. This week, we can - a little more tackling, footwork drills, and working on leverage so that's been the main focus this week."

Martinez's group has provided Volunteer fans with some highlight moments up until this point. They've tallied eight interceptions while showing stingy coverage and a blue collar mentality throughout the season so far.

"Well Brian has always done a good job," he said. "The group respects him along with Justin [Coleman], they're doing a good job as far as leadership role. Again, they're like everybody else just trying to improve on the things they haven't done so well and that's been the main focus this week and they're doing a good job."

While it's hard not to look down I-40 West to their next opponent, the defensive backs have been putting all their energy on keeping their fundamentals sharp.

"Our main focus this whole week has been to focus on us," said Martinez. "We know who we're playing next but if we can just improve us from the standpoint whether it was leverage on defense, tackling, creating turnovers, that's been the whole main focus this week. It was on us."